LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 MAR Grand Format Air & Space Sale #6000  / 

58378

Screw from Liberty Bell 7 Mercury Spacecraft

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:375.00 USD Estimated At:750.00 - 1,000.00 USD
Screw from Liberty Bell 7 Mercury Spacecraft
<B>Metal Component from the Liberty Bell 7 Mercury Spacecraft.</B></I> The Mercury Project was the first United States human spaceflight program. Running from 1959 through 1963, its goal was to put a man in orbit around the earth. Mercury-Redstone 4, the second suborbital flight in the program, launched on July 21, 1961. Its capsule was named Liberty Bell 7, and the flight was piloted by Virgil "Gus" Grissom. Unfortunately, shortly after splashdown the hatch unexpectedly blew off and the Liberty Bell began taking on water. Grissom was able to escape, but the Liberty Bell filled with water and quickly sank. Thirty-eight years later, a recovery team lifted the Liberty Bell 7 capsule off the floor of the Atlantic. The capsule was disassembled, cleaned, and sent on a national tour, ultimately going on permanent display at the Kansas Cosmosphere. Here we offer a corroded one-inch screw that could not be reinstalled in the craft following cleaning. The screw has been encased in a Lucite brick that measures approximately 6 x 4.5 x 1.5. Very fine condition.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Miscellaneous Collectibles, Larg (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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